30 Top Tips for eNewsletter Content

10 Content management tips

Tip # 1.  Keep a content folder
Very often, finding content is left until it becomes a priority when deadlines are fast approaching. This results in pressure to come up with new material as quickly as possible.

Set up an "eNewsletter content" folder on your PC where you can store ideas and material. You will need to remember to keep the eNewsletter in mind every day, though. What you read will then trigger a response to file that content in your “eNewsletter content” file.

In an ideal world, everyone in your organisation’s marketing and sales departments should keep the eNewsletter content in mind. For example, when a salesperson receives the same question from several customers, they could suggest that question is addressed in the next eNewsletter. Then when the next eNewsletter publication date comes close, this content folder will provide the ideas and creativity you need to help produce the copy.

Tip #2  Read your competitors' eNewsletters
Get ideas from your competitors’ eNewsletters - adapt and implement these ideas in your own eNewsletter, but do it better! Subscribe to as many eNewsletters in your market as you can find.

Tip #3  Visit the sites your prospects go to
Visit the sites where your prospects go to find out what interests them. Have a look at relevant newsgroups, blogs, forums, discussion sites, social networking sites, chatrooms, etc. to discover what topics get the most coverage and generate the most interest. Technorati and Google have specific blog search services which you can use them to find relevant topics, and what the blog community is saying about your market.

Use the same idea offline - network your prospects at exhibitions to identify their interests and needs. You will then be able to plan content that addresses both arenas.

Tip #4  Keep content in reserve
Produce reserve content in store for tight situations. Produce an article that won't date and keep it for emergencies. You can use the reserve content to fill the gaps. The drawback is that it’s too easy to fall back on this reserve for the very next issue – “we’ve already got some content written...”

Tip #5  Track the results
After each eNewsletter broadcast, you will receive a report on opens and click throughs, etc. You can use the data to discover reader interests. For example, if a particular subject achieves very high open rates, you know what to major on in the next issue.

Look at the website reports as well. Ascertain which pages are the most popular; what keywords and phrases do people use in the search engines; what words and phrases are used in your website search facility? This information provides a pointer to the topics which interest people most.

With sophisticated tracking, as available in our ePartner, you can track which search terms attracted people to your site and who subsequently signed up to receive your eNewsletter regularly.

You may be selling PCs and laptops but discover that most new eNewsletter subscribers were searching exclusively for laptops when they found your website. Perhaps, your next eNewsletter should then focus on laptops? Meanwhile, you might want to think about how to get more subscribers from people interested in PCs.

Tip #6  Speak to your sales and customer support departments
Your own customer facing staff is an excellent source of information on current customer and prospect issues and interests in your products and services. Mine this seam of information regularly for more topics and content.

Tip #7  Ask your readers
Leave a space on your sign-up forms for subscribers to suggest topics of interest to them. Encourage your readers to comment on articles, products and services.

Don’t just monitor the "out of office" bounce-backs. Much can be gleaned by these innocuous replies such as job titles or names of colleagues, telephone numbers, etc. all helping to paint a fuller picture of your target readership.

Tip #8  Find partners
Partner with a business that is in the same market, but not a direct competitor - your readers are bound to have similar interests to readers of other eNewsletters. This is a good way of sharing the content load. Your partner can then provide content for your eNewsletter and vice versa.

For example: A web design company might share content with an eMail design company; or a PC manufacturer with a network products manufacturer.

Tip #9  Repackage content
Repackage content from other aspects of marketing, particularly if your eNewsletter readers are unlikely to have seen it; recycle content that you publish elsewhere.

Tip #10  Decrease frequency and reduce content
If content really is a big problem for every eNewsletter publication, then perhaps it’s time to reconsider publication frequency and possibly also the amount of content. Don’t publish for the sake of it - if the material is not engaging and relevant, you will quickly lose your readers’ interest.

People hate to be bombarded by irrelevant eMails, and with poor content they will begin to resent the meaningless intrusion. Unsubscribes and spam complaints will be the end-result. Reduce the frequency or eMail length so that you can maintain a high standard of content on a continuous basis. 20 Content ideas

How do you decide what to write about? Consider these possible approaches:

Tip #1  How to Guides
Try writing a guide, or series of guides, on how to manage a particular task or implement a particular product. For example, you are reading one of our own “How2Guides” right now!

Tip #2  Top Tips
This How2Guide contains 30 “Top Tips”. Write a series of tips that will help people do their own job better or help them use your products/services. An example could be a series of tips on how to guarantee eMail deliverability.

Tip #3  Topical opinion
Produce an analysis or opinion on a topic, event, news item, product, company, market development, etc.

Tip #4  The Problem & Answer approach
It’s a good idea to identify common problems and suggest some the answers/solutions. Try not to be too obvious by always finding problems that can only be solved with your own organisation’s products or services. Shameless self-promotion is fine but the article must have value in its own right.

Tip #5  Case studies
Write a customer case study around your products/services. Avoid the typical anonymity of most case studies. There's a world of a difference between a true case study and a customer testimonial Quote customers who enthuse: "we used xyz and it worked well".

Examine the case studies that have impressed you most. They will certainly include lots of detail giving practical benefit. Include numbers and statistics in your case studies to give your readers a better understanding of the project and how your products/services could help their business.

Tip #6  Future trends
Look at the future of the market you're in and create content about it. In a later publication, write a follow-up article examining whether you were right or wrong, and if you were wrong, give the reasons why and how to correct the situation.

Tip #7.  Write about parallel situations
Write about a story or news item which is apparently irrelevant. Then draw out parallels relevant to your own market or a provide a lesson that readers can apply to their own business.

Tip #8  Educational material
Use your eNewsletter to build up a glossary or archive. For example, we have an archive of eNewsletters and How2Guides.

Tip #9  Disaster stories
Describe a disastrous decision or business experience and extract lessons which can be applied to situations relevant to your readers’ business. As fellow humans, we always like to read about other people's problems and how they overcame them.

Tip #10  Relate to the time of year
Consider the timing of holidays and seasonal business trends. Fit in with your readers’ own industries to include: Christmas; Valentine’s Day; out of season holidays. There will be examples in every industry.

Tip #11  Non-competitive reviews
Review non-competitive products and services or useful tools or books that your audience could benefit from but which complement, and not compete with, your own products or services.

Tip #12  Surveys
Surveys are always of interest to readers and are also great in filling space in emergencies! You could also ask for opinions and feedback on particular topics which, in turn, can give readers a chance to determine the future direction of the eNewsletter.

The results of the survey are, in themselves, content for a future issue. For example, you could survey industry professionals on the problems they meet in carrying out their role and then summarise their answers in your next eNewsletter.

Tip #13  Most popular articles
Review the most popular articles and produce a "Most Read Articles" edition. Don't do this too often as people will, in the end, become weary of too much repeated content.

Content that has not aged and which was published in the early days of your eNewsletter will have reached only a small proportion of your current readership. You could unearth material that's effectively new to your current readers and still relevant.

A "Most Read Articles" edition is a good solution when you're struggling for content for your next issue.

Tip #14  Questions, answers and reader contributions
Create a dedicated section for answering questions. This will give you a chance to demonstrate your organisation’s expertise and make readers feel happy that you're listening to them.

Follow-up articles summing up the main points of the most commonly asked questions will help your search for content in the future.

Readers can, themselves, be a useful source of content by getting them to contribute their own articles, comments, questions, testimonials, etc. Indeed, an entire issue can be written solely using readers’ input.

Tip #15  Events and resources
Most of your readership will have a time problem (too little of it!). Make your eNewsletter valuable to them by listing useful online and offline events: webinars, conferences, exhibitions, workshops, etc. Additionally, list third-party websites, blogs, articles, online tools, etc that they are likely to appreciate, if possible, with a short note on why you think these could be of value to your readers.

Tip #16  Amusing stories and quotes
This type of content is not always suitable as a main article in a B2B eNewsletter but it still attracts reads and click throughs. Try to link the underlying message or punch line to a situation relevant to your readership.

Tip #17  Quizzes
Let your readers test their own expertise with an interactive quiz. Not only a fun feature but you could also tie it into your organisation’s own products and services offering to support areas in which your readership is not strong.

Tip #18  Market statistics
Benchmarks and industry statistics are always popular. Combine stats from various sources, this will be popular as it saves your readers the time and effort of doing the research themselves. And they will return to your site for further information.

Tip #19  News items
Relevant news for your industry is a good space filler but readers are unlikely to view your eNewsletter as exceptional unless you have an interesting slant on it.

Tip #20  Personal interviews
Personal interviews make for excellent content. Your interviewees, having been primed with a relevant topic, will provide you with content that is easy to edit. Your pool of budding interviewees extends from inside your own organisation; to experts in your market; readers; or customers.

However, don't underestimate the effort needed. You need to prepare the topic, and the questions to ask, then match them to your interviewee. Don’t forget, you will, of course, need to devote time to transcribing/editing the recorded answers. Conclusions None of these Top Tips stand on their own. By mixing and matching you’ll be able to provide the kind of interesting material that your readers want. Used wisely, you’ll never worry about an eNewsletter content deadline ever again!